Saturday, November 19, 2016

The Long Game

oVarying reports
detail 102 passengers plus a crew of between 25 and 30 men bringing the total
number to about 130 people.

o65/66 days of
sailing to reach the upper New England coast of the Americas

oThe voyage met with
rough seas which cracked a main support beam. It was temporarily but
satisfactorily repaired with a passenger’s “jackscrew” which had been brought
aboard as cargo to help in building homes in the new world.

oOn the seas 1
passenger and 1 crewman died. Another man was swept overboard but caught a
trailing rope and was drawn back aboard.

·The
winter of 1620/21 was harsh for the Plymouth colonists and by the spring of
1621 only about half had survived the rest having died from the cold and lack
of provisions.

·In
March 1621 things begin to look up when a Native American Indian walked into
the settlement, made friends and began helping these new immigrants.

·The
first traditional New England Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621. It was
not about any one moment but rather about all the steps it took to bring about
the hope and vision of those who had joined their lives together for one common
cause.

Today
we still connect ourselves to these Pilgrims and their brave adventure. Our
nation, our world and indeed even our very lives have all been shaped, guided
and blessed by the decisions of generations who have pledged their lives to discover
their purpose and pursue their destiny.

Life is a
long game.
From conception to birth and from the beginning unto the end, life is joined to
life and life takes time. Life is a long game. Moments are meaningful but life
is about more than any one moment.

(Note:
Read from Matthew 1:1-18 connecting the people and life stories.)

Matthew 1 NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy
of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

16 And Jacob begot Joseph the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations
from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the
captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in
Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

18 Now the birth of Jesus
Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Once
again, life is a long game filled with so much long game potential.

It
is imperative that we recognize those things in life such as family, education
and career as long games. We can ill afford to play a long game with a short game
strategy. When we allow single moments to make our decisions or
overshadow our lives we run the risk of missing all the potential life has to
offer.

Have
you ever had the temptation to see your whole life in light of only one moment
or allow a single moment to paint your whole future? Some people are more prone
to look at life in light of their current moment. If the moment is good, life
is good … if their current moment is terrible, they feel like their whole life
is terrible. Not to say problems aren’t formidable however: Emotional snapshots
are poor indicators of the potential hidden in the problem.

With
God’s help you can take your thoughts captive in any moment and cast down the
imaginations which lead many people to temporarily despair. Young David of the
Bible often spoke to himself and steadied his heart, calmed his mind and
encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6)

Psalms 42:11 Why are you
cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I
shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

We
must have and maintain the passion emotion affords however we must also hold
fast to the purpose for which we are called and for which we have entered into
this race of life. Believe me when I repeat: God has a plan!

The
Pilgrims met with such difficulties and disappointments they could have easily
given up and felt their efforts and the lives they lost were all for nothing.
However, history tells another story … it’s the same story told throughout the
Bible and is epitomized by the truth we find in:

Romans 8:28 And we know that
all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose.

God
has a Plan - Life connects to Life with Purpose – Play the Long Game

Translate

Subscribe to receive EZ Sermons in your Inbox

Description of Color Code

You may notice that Pastor Ron Hammonds' notes contain colors of red, blue and green. These are color cues for the Studio 220 production department at Church on the Rock- Redis a code to place the notation on the overhead screens- Blueis for a lower-third graphic for ourChurch Onlinecongregation, and- Greenis a note that he wants to appear on screen but may not say it aloud.